17: Chapter 17 I Have a Way

County Magistrate Hu Shan stood with his hands behind his back in front of the mountain gate, his green robe fluttering without wind, and a faint smile hung on his face.

Wang Chongyang's expression sank.

Having dealt with Hu Shan for decades, he knew this person's temperament very well.

This Wanshan County Magistrate always acted impeccably and never shot without a target.

For him to personally visit today and speak up at this critical juncture, it was definitely not a temporary impulse; most likely, he had been watching from outside for a long time, waiting for this exact opportunity.

"Brother Hu is right."

Wang Chongyang's voice was calm as he cupped his hands. "The Dadao Sect colluded with the Ning Family and hired Loose Cultivators to secretly harm the direct descendants of the Wang Family, and the evidence is conclusive. Today, this old man is cleaning up the portal, which is a private grudge between the Wang Family and the Dadao Sect. As the Wanshan County Magistrate, Brother Hu shouldn't interfere in such matters, right?"

Hu Shan's mouth twitched. "What I said just now was clearly about colluding with evil Cultivators. How did you drag the Ning Family into this? Besides, how would I know if the Ning Family participated or not?"

After careful consideration, he smiled slightly and stroked his beard, saying,

"What Brother Chongyang says is extremely right. The Dadao Sect dares to collude with the Ning Family to harm Wang Family disciples, so they deserve to die. This official will never shield them. Whether it is the Dadao Sect or the Ning Family, everything is up to Brother Chongyang to dispose of. Moreover, regarding the corpses of this entire household, this official will not say a single extra word."

Changing the subject, his gaze fell on the young boy, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

"But as for this child, Brother Chongyang has also seen him. A Single Spiritual Root with Lightning attribute—Wanshan County hasn't produced such Aptitude in hundreds of years. As the Wanshan County Magistrate, this official has the responsibility to recommend talented individuals."

"If this child is recommended to the Spirit Sword Sect, not to mention an Outer Sect Disciple quota, it is not impossible for an Inner Sect Elder to personally take him as a disciple."

"Brother Chongyang, if this child dies here, it will indeed relieve the Wang Family's temporary hatred, but for our Yue Country, it will be snapping a pillar of talent."

"A pillar of talent?" Wang Yaowu couldn't help sneering. "Does Lord County Magistrate know what this brat said just now? He said that when he returns after Foundation Establishment one day, he will definitely wipe out the entire Wang Family!"

Hu Shan's expression remained unchanged as he said indifferently, "Why take the words of a child seriously? If Brother Chongyang is not at ease, this official can guarantee that after this child enters the Spirit Sword Sect, he will never set foot in Baishan County for even half a step."

Wang Chongyang remained silent, naturally not believing such polite nonsense.

Seeing this, Hu Shan took another step forward, lowering his voice by a few degrees, but adding a bit more weight to it.

"Brother Chongyang, since this official has come today, it is to uphold the prestige of the Yue Country court. This child is a person of Wanshan County, and this official has the responsibility to guard the land and pacify the people. If Brother Chongyang insists on killing him in front of this official, it will make things difficult for this official."

A cold glint flashed in Wang Chongyang's eyes, and his fingers inside his sleeves curled slightly.

Wang Yaowen stepped half a step closer and transmitted his voice, saying,

"Sixth Uncle, Hu Shan is in the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment, and his cultivation is even a small tier higher than yours. If we truly fall out, we might not get the upper hand. Moreover, although the Yue Country court is weak, it is still not something our Wang Family is qualified to provoke."

Wang Yaowu bit his teeth, glared hatefully at the young boy, and then looked at Wang Shouren, lowering his voice to say, "Shouren, we should have listened to you earlier and acted sooner. How could there be all these troubles now!"

Wang Shouren's gaze never left the young boy from beginning to end.

He saw the venom in the child's eyes quietly recede after Hu Shan appeared, and saw a chilling smile completely inconsistent with his age emerge on that youthful face.

"Holding such a grudge at such a young age, he will definitely become a disaster for the Wang Family in the future."

To kill him would be to openly defy the County Magistrate's order, giving Hu Shan an excuse to question and blame the Wang Family.

The Wang Family was not afraid of the Dadao Sect, nor even the Ning Family, but the Yue Country court was, after all, the orthodox force ruling this land, and making an enemy of them head-on was extremely unwise.

Not killing him meant the threat of the Single Spiritual Root would be like a sword hanging over their necks; when this child returned after Foundation Establishment one day, the entire Wang Family would become ghosts under his blade.

Wang Shouren's gaze swept back and forth between Hu Shan and the young boy twice, and suddenly a thought stirred in his mind.

He transmitted his voice to Wang Chongyang, "Sixth Grand-uncle, give him up. Just let him take this young boy away."

Wang Chongyang frowned without showing the slightest bit on his face, but his heart sank. Just as he was about to question him via voice transmission, Wang Shouren's next sentence arrived.

"I have a way to make him befriend the Wang Family in the future."

Wang Chongyang's pupils shrank abruptly.

He subconsciously turned his head to glance at Wang Shouren, only to see his grandson's expression calm, with not a trace of joking meaning in those clear eyes.

He turned his brain quickly twice, but still couldn't figure out how a Single Spiritual Root sapling with a blood feud of family extermination against the Wang Family could possibly work for the Wang Family.

"Really?" Wang Chongyang asked via voice transmission.

"Really."

Silence.

Wang Chongyang had seen countless people in his life and watched this grandson, Wang Shouren, grow up.

He knew this child never spoke big words, let alone spouted nonsense on matters concerning the life and death of the entire clan.

Since he said he had a way, he definitely had a way.

There was no time to hesitate.

"What do you need?" Wang Chongyang transmitted.

"Give me ten breaths of time to block all perception of everyone present."

Wang Chongyang took a deep breath, slowly raised his head, and looked at Hu Shan opposite him.

A smile suddenly bloomed on that face with wrinkles as deep as knife carvings, carrying a bit of long-lost warmth and a hint of faint provocation within the smile.

"Brother Hu, you and I have known each other for many years. Come to think of it, our last sparring match was thirty years ago, right?"

Hu Shan's brow raised slightly, not knowing why this old fox suddenly brought up past events.

Wang Chongyang did not give him time to think carefully. With a wave of his large sleeves, his Aura suddenly climbed, and the pressure of a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator was released without reservation, making the surrounding air seem to be ignited in an instant.

"There is no time like the present. Taking advantage of this opportunity today, this old man also wants to experience Brother Hu's progress over these years. Let's stop at the point and not harm harmony—please enlighten me!"

Before his voice faded, his figure had already transformed into a grey shadow, striking out with a palm towards Hu Shan.

Hu Shan's expression changed. He didn't expect Wang Chongyang to start fighting the moment he spoke, and this palm strike was clearly playing for real. His palm was crimson like fire, which was precisely the Scarlet Flame Palm that Wang Chongyang relied on to make a name for himself. Driven by Foundation Establishment true fire, under a single palm strike, metal and stone would both burn to ashes.

"Brother Chongyang, what do you mean by this?"

Hu Shan didn't dare to neglect. As his figure drifted back, a cyan beam flew out from his sleeve—it was an ancient bronze mirror, with layers of spiritual light circulating on the mirror surface, blocking in front of him.

Boom!

The palm force slammed into the mirror surface, and fire sparks splashed everywhere.

The bluestone slabs under Hu Shan's feet shattered inch by inch, and the wave of air swept around. The onlookers retreated one after another, and the lower-cultivation Shou-generation disciples were directly pushed staggering seven or eight steps by the air wave before steadying their figures.

"Nothing much, just my hands are itchy."

Wang Chongyang said with a chuckle, yet his hands were not slow at all, striking out with three consecutive palms once more.

Every palm was powerful and heavy, with scarlet flames surging, forcing Hu Shan to retreat repeatedly. The two fought from in front of the mountain gate to the airspace of the inner courtyard, and then from the airspace of the inner courtyard back to the mountain gate. When Foundation Establishment Cultivators fought, wherever the aftermath reached, stone walls collapsed with a bang, ancient trees were snapped in half, and dust flew all over the sky.

The more Hu Shan fought, the more alarmed he became. This old fellow's Lifespan was coming to an end. Logically speaking, his blood and Qi should be declining, and his strength should drop drastically. Yet, today's fierce attack didn't look like that of an elderly person on the verge of death at all!

Little did he know that Wang Chongyang's action was not sparring at all, but fighting for his life.

Wang Chongyang had only one thought in his mind—hold on for ten breaths and buy time for Shouren.

Just as the two were fighting most fiercely, Wang Chongyang flicked his left sleeve fiercely, and a fist-sized dark grey bead flew out, hovering above the position where the young boy had just been standing.

The bead spun around, instantly pouring out a large area of grayish mist, completely shrouding a radius of three zhang tightly, so that even Divine Sense could not penetrate it by a single bit.